The Subtle Differences Between Love and Hate
by native portlandian
Summary: Robin and Starfire are finally getting married. But all is not as it seems for the happy couple: a jealous friend is planning to ruin the wedding and break them up. Meanwhile, friends plan to turn enemies into lovers. Based on William Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing".
1. Chapter 1

A/N – Hello, my friends. I am going to do an actual factual CONNECTED STORY WITH CHAPTERS. I'm so excited. I think I'll finish it all the way too. Anyway, as you read in the summary, this story is based off of William Shakespeare's play "_Much Ado About Nothing"_, which is my absolute favorite. Anywho, I tried to keep everyone as normal as usual, but there may be a few…er…weird character traits. Trust me, it was the only way I could get the story to fit! Please leave me a review with any thoughts or comments :) Thanks, babes! Enjoy!

…

It took almost exactly three years of begging and pleading to get Robin to finally propose to Starfire. And not all of it was from the alien in question – _everyone_ seemed adamant on getting the two hitched. Robin found the rushing unnecessary; he and Starfire had only been dating for eight years! Shouldn't they be together for at least ten before settling with each other forever? But in reality, this was mostly Robin's Rational Mind. The Boy Wonder was smitten with the princess, and would have willingly married her even earlier than at the age of twenty-five. But Batman's protege could really only listen to his Rational Mind, which the team had accepted long ago.

Starfire, who had originally been set to marry Glgrdsklechhh at the age of seventeen, thought that Robin was _never _going to ask her to marry him. On Tamaran, people were wed early and quickly, as most didn't live very long. It was tradition to give away a royal-born girl as soon as she went through her Transformation, which generally happened at sixteen. So when Robin finally asked her, she was beyond ecstatic, loudly proclaiming that she "was not going to die the 'elderly maiden'".

A date was set for a Monday in June. The Titans attempted to keep the wedding low-key, mostly as per Robin's request. But Starfire, who was too happy to see the issue, proudly confirmed every rumor. Jump City was in chaos. The media went crazy. Robin eventually consented to a small press conference, hoping to satiate the paparazzi. This "small press conference" turned into a wild media frenzy, with practically every reporter on the West Coast showing up. Starfire happily answered every question she could, while Robin pouted quietly to himself next to her.

For the wedding, Robin and Starfire invited close friends, which consisted basically all of the honorary Titans and a few members of the JLA. Bridesmaids and groomsmen were invited to come a few days before to celebrate. And so on the Saturday before the wedding, the Tower filled with the hollers of greeting and cries of joy. When the Titans East showed up, every member of the original Titans clambered downstairs to greet them. Jinx, Kid Flash, Jericho, and Kole remained upstairs, unpacking.

Bumblebee burst through the front door, setting off several alarms in the process. Only slightly perturbed (and expecting it to happen), Cyborg switched them off almost immediately. "Hellooooo, Titans West!" she cried, latching on to the nearest person – which happened to be Robin. She lifted the smaller man slightly off of the ground. "I'm so proud of you, bird boy!"

Speedy and Aqualad followed, carrying bags. Speedy was obviously in an awful mood. He didn't look at anyone, instead setting everything in the corner and leaning against a wall. Aqualad was as friendly as usual, and greeted everyone in turn. He spent an extra moment on Raven, flashing her the bright white smile that had won thousands of hearts. Raven blushed.

Beast Boy, who was standing next to the sorceress, rolled his eyes. "Ugh. C'mon, Raven. It's already bad enough having almost-newlyweds in the Tower. Are you gonna be all gushy with fish-boy?"

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Beast Boy, this isn't about you. It's about Starfire and Robin. No one cares how you feel."

The changeling flattened his ears, pouting his protruding fang. "I care," he mumbled. Raven ignored him, much to the green man's annoyance. "You know what? I'm _never_ gonna settle on some chick. This wedding stuff is so awful. I'd rather be a bachelor for life!"

Raven huffed a laugh. "Good. Everyone should rejoice."

Before the younger man could argue, Mas e Menos came running in. Immediately, they surrounded Starfire, one man on each shoulder.

"¿Cómo estás, hermosa?" Mas asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"¿Todavía casando con Robin?" Menos added, smiling a braces-straightened smile.

Starfire giggled. "Sí, muchachos." Both young men let out identical groans before grabbing hands and zipping to Speedy, who was still slouching in the corner. They managed to get the archer onto their shoulders, much to everyone's delight – except Speedy's. The man in question only deepened his frown. Each twin picked up an armful of bags and turned to Cyborg expectantly.

"I guess you're showin' us to our rooms now," Bumblebee laughed, shaking her head. Cyborg smiled.

"Sure thing!" He motioned to the elevator. "Star, Rae, wanna help? It'll be faster." The two women glanced at each other before following. The posse crowded into the elevator, leaving Robin and Beast Boy standing alone in the lobby.

As soon as the door closed, Robin let out a breath. Beast Boy cocked an eyebrow. "You alright, Rob?"

"Yeah," the leader said, nodding. "It's just been…stressful."

Beast Boy nodded sagely. "Dude, I bet. But Star must be happy."

"Of course she is," Robin conceded. He rubbed the back of his neck, as if embarrassed. "I'm just…kinda nervous."

A loud guffaw burst from Beast Boy's mouth. Robin shot him an ungrateful look. "Sorry, dude," the green man snickered. "I've just never seen you like this before! Like, is nervous even in your realm of emotions?"

"Apparently," Robin mumbled. His blush colored the pale skin around his mask.

"What are you nervous about anyway?"

Robin clenched his jaw, like he usually did when thinking over a particularly hard question. "Everything," he said at last. "What if we're rushing into this? What if we can't have kids? Would we even want kids? Galfore can't live forever – who'll rule Tameran? What if she changes her mind? What if one of us dies? What if –"

"Whoahhhhhh." Beast Boy held up both hands in front of him, as if warding off Robin's sudden spout of worries. "Dude! You're thinking too far ahead! Just relax!"

Robin laughed; a short, bitter _ha_ that echoed somewhat. "Relax? Beast Boy, I'm terrible at relaxing. Do you know how long I've been thinking about this?"

The younger man looked wary. "Waaaaay too long, bro," he said. Across the room, the elevator doors slid open, revealing Cyborg and Bumblebee. Both were laughing about something unknown.

"Imma go grab something out of our T-ship," Bumblebee said. The other leader waved to the boys as she headed in the direction of the garage. "I'll be back!" A second passed, and she darted back around the corner, light brown eyes narrowed. "And don't you _dare _lock me outside again, green bean." Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at her, which Bumblebee gladly returned. A flash of yellow, and she was gone.

"Whatsup?" Cyborg asked, taking in Robin's stressed expression. The Boy Wonder opened his mouth to say something when Beast Boy interrupted.

"Rob's way nervous, dude," he said. "About a lot."

Cy frowned. "Man, Rob, that's not good. What're ya nervous about?"

Robin sighed. "I think Beast Boy hit the nail on the head with "a lot"."

The half-robot's brow crinkled. "About wedding stuff?" Still profusely blushing, Robin nodded. Cy smiled slightly, putting his large hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "Man, of course you are. That's perfectly normal. Whatever Beast Boy said, don't listen. He can't snag a girl to save his life."

"Hey!"

The corner of Robin's mouth twitched upwards. "I feel kind of bad. I've been avoiding Star the past few days. She probably thinks I'm getting cold feet."

Cyborg chuckled. "Listen, Rob. I got a plan. You know how we were gonna do bachelor and bachelorette parties?"

"Hell yeah!" Beast Boy yelled. Cyborg shot him a glare before turning back to Robin.

"Anyway, Bee and I came up with a plan. Why not just have a combination celebration party? I already know that there's a snowball's chance in hell we'll be able to get you to a strip club –"

Beast Boy groaned loudly.

"- and Bee said Star wants to "include the males in party shenanigans"," Cy finished, ignoring the green man next to them. "Are you really worried that Star'll balk?"

Robin scratched the back of his neck again. "A little."

"Listen." Cyborg pulled away from Robin, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll warm her up for you at the party. Talk you up. Compliment her. She'll be all kinds of ready when I'm done with her."

"Dude, that's kinda weird," Beast Boy mumbled, rubbing his earlobe between two gloved fingers. "I mean, she's _Robin's fiancée_."

"It's only weird if you make it weird, BB," Cyborg shot back, smirking. He turned back to Robin. "You comfortable with that, Rob?"

Robin thought for a moment, his mouth drawing into a flat line. "I…would be really appreciative, Cyborg," he said at last. Beast Boy looked at Robin like he'd grown wings.

"You're okay with Cy flirting with Star for you?" he asked, dumbfounded. Cyborg rolled his human eye.

"You're making a big deal out of it, BB," he said lightly. "Robin trusts me. Right, Rob?" He turned to the leader, smiling. Somewhat uncomfortably, Robin smiled back.

"Yeah, I do."

Beast Boy crossed his arms. "Well, I'm glad you didn't pick _me_. I'm so good at flirting, Star'll fall for me right then and there."

Cyborg's bellowing laugh rang through the room. "Yeah, Beasty," he cried, good-naturedly slapping his teammate on the back. "Because the ladies are just _crawling_ over you!" Robin began to snicker as well, and Beast Boy struggled to keep a nonchalant face.

"Who said I wanted them to?" he shot back. Robin raised an eyebrow.

"You want men, Beast Boy?" he chuckled. Beast Boy turned a beet red color.

"What? No! I just –" He gave up as he saw that both of his teammates were laughing too hard to listen. He crossed his arms and sniffed. "You know what? I'm gonna go get ready." He spun on his heel and stalked to the elevator.

"Good idea, green bean," Cyborg called, following with his leader. "You'll wanna look good for Aqualad."

The three men's laughter echoed in the room, still reverberating slightly when the elevator doors closed.

…

A/N – Hope y'all liked it! Just a note – I don't speak a lick of Spanish, so Mas e Menos might have some grammatical/spelling errors. I apologize profusely for my butchering of a beautiful language; Google Translate never really comes out right.


	2. Chapter 2

_I wonder that thou (being, as thou say'st thou art, born  
under Saturn) goest about to apply a moral medicine to a  
mortifying mischief. I cannot hide what I am: I must be sad when  
I have cause, and smile at no man's jests; eat when I have  
stomach, and wait for no man's leisure; sleep when I am drowsy,  
and tend on no man's business; laugh when I am merry, and claw no man in his humour. _

William Shakespeare, _Much Ado About Nothing_

…

Bumblebee prided herself on how quickly she could move. This was mostly due to her wings, but she was also relatively fast without them as well. It took her less than a minute to find what she needed in the T-ship: a velvet box containing the pearl necklace her mother had worn to her wedding. It completed the "something old" for Starfire, as well as the "something borrowed". Technically, Jinx's tiara was the "something borrowed", but Bumblebee wanted to have the pride that went with providing half of the "bride needs" for one of her best friends.

She tucked the box gently under her arm and closed the top of the T-Ship. Knowing it would automatically lock after ten minutes, she hopped off of the wing and into the air, where she made a beeline for the door back into the entry room. Her red lips quirked up at her mental pun.

The Titans East Leader landed in front of the door to the parlor, where the elevator resided. Stairs curled up into a spiral beside her, but she felt that the elevator would be the fastest way. Her patience was practically nonexistent; this often happened when she was overexcited. She wrapped her fingers around the knob and pulled.

Voices made her stop. It was Cyborg talking, which wasn't usually something that would surprise Bumblebee. That bucket of bolts would lecture a wall. What surprised her was what he was saying.

"- Compliment her. She'll be all kinds of ready when I'm done with her."

Bumblebee smiled a little bit. Sparky was planning on getting some action! She decided to eavesdrop a little to tease him about it later. Maybe she could figure out which "her" the half-robot was talking about.

A second voice joined Cyborg's, which Bumblebee immediately recognized as Beast Boy's. The kid sounded uncomfortable. "Dude, that's kinda weird. I mean she's _Robin's fiancée_."

Bumblebee's mouth fell open in surprise. Softly, she closed the door and backed up slightly. There was _no way_ Cyborg should think it's okay to be flirtin' with Starfire! The tall woman shook her head, pursing her lips. She turned and began to trek up the stairs. Halfway up, she was nearly run over by Kid Flash, who barely mumbled a hello as he went past. Still too shocked to respond, Bumblebee picked up her pace on the stairs. She had to let Starfire know.

…

Speedy sat on the end of the twin-sized bed, his mouth curled into a sneer. Beside him, his unpacked suitcase ruffled the dust on the quilt. Obviously, no one had bunked in this room for a while. A couple feet away, Aqualad was laying out clothing items on his own bed, keeping them carefully folded. The Atlantean had opened the window slightly, and the cries of seagulls erupted against the archer's eardrums.

"How long are you going to pout for?" Aqualad asked, his voice mildly tinged with sarcasm. Speedy grimaced, his gloved fists clenching.

"Who said I was pouting?" he growled. Aqualad hummed a short laugh.

"You haven't spoken since we left Steel City. I'm pretty sure that's pouting." Speedy crossed his arms, his pose reminiscent of a small child who had just been grounded. Aqualad sighed and turned toward his teammate, hands falling to his hips. "Look, man. I know you have a thing for Starfire –"

"So?" Speedy spat, his freckled face beginning to blush.

"- but you have to put that behind you. She's with Robin. Jeez, she's been with Robin forever! Why are you so bothered?" Aqualad raised one dark eyebrow, apparently genuinely waiting for an answer. Speedy let out a gusty sigh.

"Can't a guy dream?" he mumbled. "It's just…not fair."

Aqualad sat down on the comforter beside his friend, slinging a lean-muscled arm across Speedy's shoulders. "Why?"

Speedy shrugged the arm off and stepped across the room, turning his back on the Antlantean. "Robin's just so…stuck up, ya know? He doesn't deserve Starfire."

"That makes no sense," Aqualad pointed out. "You lost, Speed. Get over it."

Speedy whipped around, opening his mouth to let out a nasty retort. Before he could utter the planned obscenities, there were six rapid knocks on the door. Aqualad's dark eyes first flitted to Speedy, a question in their black depths. The Antlantean stood up slowly and approached the door. As soon as he pressed the button that would allow it to open, Kid Flash tumbled into the room, sending Aqualad sprawling.

"Thank _God_!" the speedster proclaimed. "I thought I was gonna be stuck with girls all day!" Quickly changing thought tracks, Kid rubbed his chin. A small red goatee had sprouted there. "Not that that's a bad thing. But all I had was Sir Silent to keep me company. And everyone wanted to talk about dresses!" He fell back across Speedy's still made bed, barely missing the packed suitcase.

"What do you want, Kid?" Speedy asked. He was in too bad of a mood to exchange greetings with his old friend.

Kid Flash swung his legs up onto the bed, turning himself so his head hung off the edge. He ran a hand through his overgrown thatch of hair. "I can't _wait_ until the big guy steps down. Do you know how tired I am of being called _Kid_? I'm twenty-six!"

"Don't you have to mature to lose the "kid" prefix?" Aqualad smirked. Kid Flash flopped over onto his stomach, blue eyes gleaming playfully.

"You're in the same boat, _Laddie_!" Aqualad chuckled and rolled his eyes. Kid Flash switched again into a sitting position. It was almost like he couldn't sit still. "So you guys'll never guess what I just heard. It's crazy."

"Jinx compliment you?" Speedy muttered sarcastically. His teammate barked a laugh.

Kid Flash rolled his eyes. "I said _crazy_, not _impossible_."

"So what is it?" Aqualad asked. He leaned back against the wall, apparently readying himself for a story.

Kid Flash's eyes sparked again. "The other boys are starting a prank without us." When neither of the other men batted an eye, the speedster continued. "Anyway, Rob's got cold feet, or pre-wedding jitters, somethin' like that." Now Speedy was interested. Kid Flash smiled. "There's gonna be a big party tonight – they're combining bachelor and bachelorette. Stupid in my opinion. But Robby's all "ahhh I'm all scared!" so Cyborg was like "nah, yo, I got your back. I'll flirt with Star for you and get her all warmed up". It's crazy! And I guess not a prank." Kid Flash stopped his ramble to think for a moment. "But they were talking about it all secret-like in the lobby."

"Cy's gonna flirt with Star _for_ Robin?" Aqualad asked, his eyebrow once again raised.

"Yeah!" Kid Flash jumped up on the bed, messing up the made sheets. "Weird right?"

Speedy was silent. Anyone who knew him well enough could tell that he was thinking. One gloved hand cupped his chin, and his eyebrows furrowed. "You want to pull a prank, KF?" he said suddenly.

Kid Flash turned his attention to Speedy, his face practically lighting up. "Always, man!"

A smile crept across Speedy's face. Aqualad immediately started to look worried; that was a Grinch-y smile if he ever saw one. "Um, Speedy…"

Speedy clapped his hands together. "I have a plan, guys. We're gonna rock Bird Boy's world."

…

A/N – Lol this is so weird. I need Speedy to fit this certain character, but DAMN is he making me work for it! I hope this came out okay, let me know any thoughts/critiques. OH! I also own NONE OF THIS! Forgot that for the first one…


	3. Chapter 3

_I would not marry her though she were endowed with all that  
Adam had left him before he transgress'd. _

…

Raven had never been to a wedding before. Therefore, she had never been a bridesmaid. And now, from her current experience sitting in Starfire's room surrounded by other ridiculously hyperactive women, Raven could safely say that she never wanted to do this again.

"So, Star," Jinx asked, glancing at her friend from the mirror. She was applying thick, black eyeliner. "If you could be with _anyone_, who would it be?"

Starfire paused in curling her hair, her small, neat eyebrows coming together in confusion. "With anyone? I do not understand the question, friend Jinx."

Jinx finished her last eyeliner wing with a flourish and turned around. "You know what I mean, Starfire," she purred, her pink eyes flashing mischievously.

Starfire blinked slowly. "No, I am afraid I do not."

Jinx opened her mouth to explain, but was quickly interrupted by Kole, who was sitting on the carpet painting her nails. "She means "if you could _marry_ anyone, who would it be?"" Jinx shot the younger woman a glare for ruining her fun.

"Oh!" Starfire smiled and began to curl the next strand of hair. "Robin, of course."

"You can't choose the guy you're actually going to fu- er, marry," Jinx amended. Starfire's brow once more crinkled in confusion.

"Why not? Robin and I have the chemistry. He is kind, smart, and provides pleasurable intercourse." Jinx choked trying to stifle a laugh. Kole blushed. Under her hood, Raven grimaced.

"Fair enough," the pink-haired sorceress giggled. She turned her cat-like eyes onto Raven. "What about you, Raven?"

Raven narrowed her eyes. "I don't think so."

Starfire turned around, her glorious head of hair suitably curled. "Friend Raven, there must be _some_ boy!"

Raven shook her head. "No. No way. I don't do love."

Jinx slipped her shirt over her head, the other hand grasping for her dress. "Who said it had to be love? C'mon. If you don't choose, we'll choose for you!"

Raven rolled her eyes, wishing Starfire had let her bring a book into the room while everyone else got ready. "Great. Have fun. I'm just going to tune you out."

Kole looked up from the ground, her blue eyes playful. "I think she'd look really cute with Beast Boy." Raven's eyes widened in horror. Starfire spun into the air, her green eyes the size off plates.

"Do you know how long I have been doing the saying of that?" she squealed. Jinx laughed.

"They'd be too stringy together," she pointed out. "Raven needs someone more beefy. Someone like Cyborg!"

"You're one to talk!" Kole giggled. "You and Kid Flash can probably hug and fall through a crack in the floor!" Jinx blushed angrily and waved her hand in the direction of Kole. The young woman's nearly-dry toenail polish promptly smudged. "Hey!" she cried out.

"Please friends, let us return to thinking of Raven's optimum counterpart!" Starfire hushed, putting up her hands. "I do see the upwards-facing sides to friend Cyborg, but I still believe Beast Boy is better suited."

Jinx stroked her chin, something she had picked up from Kid Flash. "If only there was a way to mix the two together…"

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose. "Are you all quite finished? I've been struggling not to vomit."

Starfire's eyes widened in concern. "Are you nauseous, friend? Would you like the bucket?" Kole burst into laughter.

Before Raven could soothe her friend, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Jinx yelled. "We're all having a naked pillow fight!"

The code was keyed into the door, and it slid open. Bumblebee stood in the doorway, one eyebrow raised. "Y'all didn't even think to invite me?"

"Friend Bumblebee!" Starfire exclaimed, flying over to the woman in the doorway. "You said you would join us after 'kicking Cyborg's donkey at the video games'!"

Bumblebee chuckled. It was true. Earlier, she had been so adamant at telling Starfire about Cyborg's intentions, but had gotten sidetracked by the food Jericho was cooking in the kitchen. Then Cyborg challenged her to a round of video games. And Bumblebee never backed down from a challenge. "And I did, girl!"

"So glad you could join us," Jinx grumbled. "Have you been having fun with the _boys_?"

"What is it with you and men today?" Kole asked. "Both you and Kid have been seriously anti-opposite-gender."

"I never get to hang with girls!" Jinx said. She was now rooting around in Starfire's closet. "I needed a testosterone break."

"Ew," Raven mumbled.

"Are you excited for the party?" Starfire asked Bumblebee. The red-haired alien was practically flying circles around the ceiling.

Bumblebee bit her lip. "Actually, I overheard something earlier that you might want to know, Star," the tall woman said, suddenly very uncomfortable.

"Gossip?" Jinx asked, excited.

"Eh, not really." Bee rubbed her hands together. "I just mighta overheard Sparky and BB talking."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Overheard or eavesdropped?"

Bumblebee flushed hotly. "_Overheard_. Anyway, I think Cy's planning on hitting on you tonight, Starfire. Thought you might want some fair warning."

Starfire lowered to the ground. "Cyborg is planning on…hitting me? Why?"

"Why would Cyborg flirt with Star?" Kole asked, not bothering to explain to the confused alien.

Bumblebee shrugged her broad shoulders. "No idea. It was sort of random."

"You probably misunderstood," Raven pointed out. Bee pursed her lips, but said nothing.

Starfire was still confused on exactly _what_ Cyborg wanted to do, but didn't like the tones in her friend's voices. "Please!" she said suddenly. "I only wish for us to have fun at the festivities!" She floated over to Bumblebee, taking her friend's hand. "I trust you have brought the dress of parties, yes?"

Bumblebee's eyes widened. The rest of the girls laughed.

At about eight-thirty, the girls made their way to the common room, where the party was being held. They had trusted the boys with setting up; a risky decision at best. But walking in the room, they realized that they shouldn't have been worried.

The furniture had been moved, clearing a dance floor. Someone, presumably Cyborg, had actually installed a disco ball in the ceiling. A little table was set up with DJ equipment, and another had a variety of beverage ingredients. Food covered the table in the kitchen. The regular lights were off, and in their place they had hung up colorful twinkle lights. Starfire, upon seeing this setup, squealed with joy and flew over to Robin, picking him up and spinning him around in the air.

The DJ, who was apparently a friend of Robin's, immediately began putting on songs to get people dancing. He was a young man, maybe a year or two older than the groom, with messy black hair and a pair of blackout sunglasses. At one point, he let the song run and pulled Jinx onto the dancefloor, much to Kid Flash's annoyance. Everyone was having a great time. Even Jericho and Kole, who had been hanging back from the festivities, got up and danced together.

Cyborg kept his plan in his mind. He gave it a little while – allowed Stafire to have a few drinks first. When the alien floated away from the group, an easy smile on her face, Cyborg flashed Robin a thumbs up and swooped in.

"Hey, Star," he said. The gorgeous Tameranian turned her head to look at him, her green eyes sparkling in the light thrown from the disco ball.

"Hello, friend Cyborg!" she said giddily. A plastic tiara, complete with a tiny veil, was buried in her curls. "I must thank you for the wonderful idea of a party of both the boys and the girls. I was hoping I'd get to spend time celebrating with my friends of the male gender!"

"No prob, Star." Cy smiled, leaning back against the wall. "Did I mention how beautiful you look?"

Starfire blushed slightly, and she giggled. "Why thank you! And you look particularly shiny today!"

He laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. How're ya doin'? We haven't really got to talk."

"I have never been more happy!" Starfire squealed, spinning into the air. Cyborg was briefly grateful that she had put her drink down first.

"You aren't nervous about the wedding or anything?" Cy pressed.

Starfire settled back onto the floor. "Why would I be? Is something wrong?"

"Nah, nothing's wrong." Cyborg waved his large hand. A smirk crossed his face. "I gotta know though. How's Rob in the sack? I bet he's awful." Oh, the boy blunder was going to _love_ that he mentioned that.

Starfire blinked. "In the…sack?"

Cyborg suddenly realized how hard this conversation was getting. He could practically hear a tiny coach in the back of his brain. _You're dyin' out there, Stone!_

"Er…your hair looks great!" Starfire's expression did not change.

"I am still confused about this 'sack'."

While Cyborg struggled, across the room, Beast Boy fidgeted in similar discomfort. His shirt's collar was stiff, and his pants were about an inch too short. He was leaning against the wall next to the moved couch, one hand clutching a barely touched drink, the other shoved deep in his pocket. Everyone was dancing. And he _really _wanted to dance. Beast Boy (in his own humble opinion) had some _sick_ dance moves. For what was probably the fiftieth time, his eyes slid toward the only free girl in the room.

Raven was sitting at the other end of the couch, her violet eyes narrowed in distaste. Her small, pale hands were clasped tightly in her lap. She was wearing a form-fitting black dress that was probably wrestled onto her, and there were tiny smudges in her makeup, like she had struggled.

Beast Boy did _not_ want to dance with Raven.

Once again, he went over the pros and cons of asking Raven to dance. Pro: He might get to dance and show off. Con: It was _Raven_. Pro: She looked really pretty. Con: It was _Raven_. The list continued in much the same pattern.

Beast Boy was so caught up in his inner argument that he barely even noticed the woman in question standing up and walking toward him. It was only when she snapped her fingers in front of his eyes for a second time that he focused.

"Are you here, now?" Raven asked, a tinge of impatience in her voice. Her lipstick was purple, a few shades darker than her eyes.

"Were you sayin' somethin'?" Beast Boy asked carefully. Why did he have to suck at paying attention?

"I asked if you wanted to dance," Raven said curtly. Beast Boy's eyes widened.

"Me?" he squeaked. He mentally kicked himself for how unmanly he suddenly sounded.

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm starting to think I've made a huge mistake in coming over here."

Beast Boy was immediately back in himself. If there's anything he liked better, it was proving Raven wrong. "No way, Raven. You just made the best decision ever." Before she could take away her offer, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the thick of the dancing. He felt a sudden need to impress her. _No_, he corrected. _Not her. Everyone. Beast Boy's in da HOUSE!_

Raven was fine with it at first, how he kept breaking away from her to do some weird thing he considered a dance move. As far as she was concerned, the less he was touching her, the better. She had seen him looking over at her earlier, and could feel the indecision coming off of him in waves. It was a _nice_ thing to do, she told herself. He was just going to ask her anyway. And as much as she hated to admit it, she was having…fun.

That was, until the DJ turned the music down slightly. "Alright, guys," he drawled into the mike. Raven thought there was something familiar about the voice, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. "It's time for a slooooowww song." He pressed a button on the keyboard of the laptop in front of him, and turned the volume back up.

"Okay, I think I'm done," Raven said. She turned around to leave, but the animorph grabbed onto her hand.

"C'mon, Rae!" he laughed. "You're really gonna give up a chance to slow dance with this?" He gestured to himself, eyebrows wiggling playfully.

Raven didn't move. "Yes." She pulled her hand out of his and took another step away.

"Wait!" Beast Boy grabbed her again, pulling her towards him. "Just give me a chance, Rae. No one else will dance with me."

Raven closed her eyes, focusing on her chakra. _Just one dance_, she thought. _For charity's sake_. "Okay." Before she could even take a breath, Beast Boy grabbed her waist with his free hand and pulled her into him. She blushed – it was _much_ too close for her liking. She could smell his ridiculous cologne.

The dance started out awkward at best. Beast Boy was not known for his grace, and Raven's reluctance just made their movements even more uncomfortable-looking. Soon Beast Boy was stepping on her feet, and she was tripping over his legs. It was a train wreck, and Raven did not hesitate to constantly remind Beast Boy of this.

"You're terrible," she hissed at him. Their faces were uncomfortably close.

"Well, you aren't too great yourself," he growled back. They traded insults back and forth, slowly growing more and more angry with each other. But neither wanted to stop and take a blow to their pride. So they kept going, getting clumsier and clumsier the angrier they got.

Robin watched all of this from his position against the wall, mildly amused. He had declined Starfire's request to dance, saying he was taking a small break. Mostly this was because he wanted to give Cyborg more time to carry out his promise. Still, a worry gnawed at the back of the leader's mind. Watching Cyborg and Starfire slow dance was making him feel very weird. Especially whenever the half-robot would drop his head to whisper something in Starfire's ear. She'd giggle and murmur something back, her glittery pink lips brushing his earlobe. He was so concentrated on the two that he almost didn't notice Speedy sidling up next to him, a beer bottle clutched in one hand.

"I know about your and Cy's plan," Speedy said plainly, taking a sip. Robin turned to him, surprised to see him there but not showing it.

"How?" he asked quietly. Speedy was watching the dance floor, in much the same way Robin had been earlier.

"Cyborg told me about it." He shrugged. "Guess he was too excited."

"Excited?" Robin asked. He was searching the archer's face for any emotional cues that would indicate a lie. Unfortunately, a great deal of the kids who had studied under a Justice League member had been trained in lying, so as not to give anything away in a high pressure situation. Robin and Speedy had been two of the apprentices to master it.

"I wasn't supposed to tell you," Speedy said, rubbing his hand over his smooth orange hair. "But you're my friend, Rob. We go way back, don't we?"

Robin pursed his lips. "What weren't you supposed to tell me?" Worry was making his heart pound.

"Well," Speedy began, his lips twisting into a frown, "Cyborg _was _originally gonna go through with the plan. But then he realized that you practically gave him a _free pass_ to flirt with your girl with no consequences. I think he even told me that if he played his cards right, he might even get lucky tonight."

Robin's face had slowly taken on a reddish tinge. His jaw clenched uncomfortably tight. Speedy stifled a smirk. Robin was totally buying it. "I came to tell you, Rob, 'cuz I think his plan might be working."

The Boy Wonder's head whipped around to where Starfire and Cyborg had been dancing. The song was ending, and they had their foreheads pressed together, laughing quietly. Starfire's arms were draped elegantly around Cyborg's shoulder, and his hands sat comfortably on her hips. Suddenly, Robin felt nauseous.

"Excuse me," he said to Speedy. In a flash, he was out of the room. Speedy smiled to himself. His work was done.

Beast Boy stalked over to Speedy, his hair ruffled and his fang pouted. He looked like he had just gotten into a fight with someone, and might as well had been. His expression softened as he approached the archer. "Hey, where's Rob? I saw him here a second ago."

"He left," Speedy said lightly, sipping his beer. Beast Boy's dark eyebrows drew together slightly.

"…He left his own party?"

Speedy shrugged. "Guess so." Before Beast Boy could ask, Cyborg walked over, Starfire and Bumblebee in tow. Once the changeling's attention was off of him, Speedy slipped away into the crowd.

"Yo, B," Cyborg greeted, smiling. "Any idea where Robin is?"

"Speedy said he left," Beast Boy mumbled. His gaze had trailed across the room. Bumblebee turned slightly to follow it. He was staring at Raven, who was sitting on a chair and obviously steamed.

"Oh my," she chuckled. "B, did you and Raven get in a fight?"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he did so. "She's being way mean, dude. Like, she told me I suck at dancing. And then she told me I stink and I look like I was run over by a lawnmower. And –"

Cyborg cut him off. "B, I saw you dancing with her. You do sorta suck."

Beast Boy blushed angrily. "I only suck because she sucks!"

"You did the slow-paced dancing with Raven?" Starfire asked, her eyes lighting up. Beast Boy scuffed his shoe on the floor, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

"Yeah. And it was no fun at all."

"That is most adorable!" Star cried, turning to Bumblebee. "Isn't it?"

Bumblebee cocked an eyebrow and jutted her hip out. Her shimmery golden dress was floor-length, but had slits of the side, exposing her toned legs. "Uh, sure. If you think ridiculous is cute."

As if summoned, Raven began walking over to them. Surprisingly, Robin was with her. He had slipped in without anyone noticing, and was now whispering quickly to the empath. He lagged a few steps behind, but Raven was clutching his wrist.

Beast Boy tensed at the sight of them. "Hey, Cyborg, wanna drink?" he asked loudly.

"Nah, I'm good –"

Beast Boy cut him off. "Great! I'll go make you something. Something really complicated that takes a very long time to make." With that, he spun on his heel and left just about when the two newcomers joined. Raven watched the green man go with an angry glare. "Good riddance," she mumbled under her breath.

"Hey, Rob!" Cyborg said cheerfully. "We were looking for you!"

Robin looked at the ground, silent. Raven sighed. "Robin, you need to talk to him."

"Talk to me about what?" Cyborg asked, the smile falling off his face. His human eye flickered over the Boy Wonder's face. "What's up, Rob?"

Robin opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a flash of orange practically tackling him. It was Starfire. She had pulled her fiance up into the air and was kissing him. A few whoops and hollers echoed around the room, along with some clapping. Robin looked extremely surprised at first, keeping his hands firmly at his sides. But after a moment he began to kiss her back, albeit with much less fervor.

Raven had craned her neck to watch the spectacle, but was now back to her original position. She raised an eyebrow at Cyborg, who was watching the couple with pride from beside her. "Weren't you flirting with Starfire?" she asked, her tone questioning. Cyborg looked down at her, eyebrows raised.

"What? No! I was talking up Robin!" he looked somewhat hurt. "What made you think that?" Raven pointed up.

"Robin did."

Cyborg's expression melted away into laughter. "Man, that guy's paranoid. We talked about this earlier! Star's like my sister. I'd never _actually_ hit on her!"

Raven gave a slight nod, but stayed quiet.

Eventually, Starfire and Robin came floating down, wrapped in each other's arms and smiling like teenagers. "I apologize," Starfire said huskily. "But Cyborg was right – your lips are very much irresistible."

Everyone laughed loudly at that. "Wow, Cy!" Jinx yelled. "I didn't know you were into that!"

Cyborg smiled and waved a hand. "You know me. Always picking out the good parts!" Another laugh around the room. Robin looked decidedly more comfortable, a slight smile taking residence on his face.

As everyone got back into their own conversations and dances, Cyborg turned to Raven. Robin and Starfire, arm in arm, were talking adamantly with Bumblebee. Raven glanced up at the half-robot, her violet eyes almost black in the dim light. It suddenly struck Cyborg how pretty she was.

"How're ya doin', Rae?" he asked softly.

Raven hummed a laugh. "Okay, I guess. Dancing with Beast Boy was…awful. I think it ruined dancing forever for me."

Cyborg chuckled. "Green Bean gets nervous; cut 'im some slack." Raven rolled her eyes, but the half-robot could see the tiny smile working at the corner of her lip. He extended a hand to her. "Wanna dance with me? I think Jason's gonna play another slow song. I can redeem the experience for you." He smiled softly at her.

Raven smiled back at him. It was very rare to get a smile out of Raven; Cyborg prided himself in being one of the few people who could. "Thanks, Cy, but I think I'm going to get to bed. It's getting late." Standing on her tiptoes, she gave her teammate a swift kiss on the cheek and started out the door. Cyborg smiled after her. For a moment, he had considered maybe falling in love with her. But that moment was gone. He thrust himself into the group of Star, Rob, and Bumblebee.

Robin was smiling, giddy with love. His arm was wrapped tightly around Starfire's waist, and she was playing with the ends of his hair. "You know, I think we should move the wedding up," he was saying. "To tomorrow. I mean, it's only one day. How hard can it be?"

"You can't wait one day?" Bumblebee asked, incredulous. She fixed her gaze on Cyborg. "Thank goodness you're here," she said. "These lovebirds are like terrible! I'm feelin' sick!"

"I certainly cannot wait one day," Starfire murmured, her gaze fixed on Robin's face. Cyborg mocked gagging.

"No way," Bumblebee said firmly. "We are not gonna spend the rest of the night callin' all y'all's guests to tell 'em they gotta fly down a whole day early. Not to mention all of the bookings and stuff I'd hafta change. We're doing the wedding on Monday, and that's final."

Starfire pouted a little, but Robin apparently saw the logic in the situation. "Sorry," he laughed, blushing. "I just got sorta caught up in myself, I guess."

Cyborg snorted. "Whatever you say, lover boy." The group shared a moment of laughter. Then Cyborg leaned in conspiratorially, and everyone else unconsciously did the same. "Listen up, y'all. I have a plan to pass the time. We're gonna make BB and Raven fall in love."

"What?" Bumblebee laughed. "You're joking, right?"

Cyborg shook his head. "C'mon, Bee! It'll be hilarious! I mean, they _obviously_ have the hots for each other. We could just…give 'em a little push." He smiled evilly. "Trust me on this."

Starfire was holding back a squeal. "Ooh! Yes! We must! It will be the most _adorable thing!_"

Robin was smiling slightly. "I guess it might be fun."

Bumblebee was staring at Cyborg, the corner of her mouth quirked up in a smirk. "You do realize how crazy you are, Sparks? It'll never work."

Cyborg chuckled. "Don't worry Bee. I have a perfect plan. We'll have Green Bean and Rae as smoochy as Rob and Star by tomorrow night. And if I fail, I'll pay you twenty bucks."

Bumblebee smiled. She loved a bet. "Deal."

…

A/N – Hope you guys liked that BBRae moment…there is much more to come ;) Also, you have not seen the last of evil-ish Speedy! Bwahahaha!


	4. Chapter 4

_I may chance have some odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me because I have railed so long against marriage. But doth not the appetite alters? A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age. _

…

"Damn it!" Speedy cried, slamming his foot angrily against his bed post. He had gone to bed the night before believing that his plan had worked, and Starfire and Robin were through. However, Kid Flash had just popped into his room to ask him if he was upset about his plan not working. When Speedy reacted with confusion, Kid Flash had to break the news to him. Thus, kicking the bedpost.

"You're going to hurt yourself," Aqualad murmured. He was sitting cross-legged on top of his covers, stretching. "How did you think such a barely thought-out idea would work in the first place?" Speedy ignored his friend, pretending he didn't feel the shooting pain in his toes.

"Shut up, Aqualad," the archer snapped, sitting back on the bed. His cheek twitched with barely concealed frustration.

"So're ya gonna give up now?" Kid Flash asked, leaning his back against the doorframe.

"What the hell else am I supposed to do?" Speedy snapped.

"Don't encourage him," Aqualad mumbled in Kid Flash's direction. "He needs to get over himself."

Kid Flash pursed his lips. "Actually, Garth, I'm sorta on Speedy's side."

"What?" The Antlantean pushed himself to his feet, dark eyes wide. "You're crazy for encouraging this!"

"Why?" Speedy asked Kid, his eyes narrowing beneath his mask. "What's your angle?"

The speedster shrugged. "I'm actually super bummed about Rob not being a bachelor anymore, ya know? Makes me feel sorta old. _And _if he and Star get married, then Jinx will think _we_ should get married!" Kid Flash shuddered. "I don't wanna be tied down yet, man!"

Aqualad pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I want no part in this."

"We don't even have a plan," Speedy snapped. Aqualad ignored him, instead going over to his half of the dresser and pulling out his clothes for the day. Speedy had refused to unpack, so his teammate had done it for him.

Kid Flash scratched his goatee, a thoughtful look entering his eyes. "I actually kinda half-formed one myself."

"Seriously?" Aqualad muttered from across the room.

Speedy raised an eyebrow.

"So do you guys know what Robin hates more than _anything_?"

"Slade?" Aqualad put in.

"Not wearing his uniform?" Speedy grumbled.

Kid Flash shook his head to both. "Nope! Cheaters."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure it's Slade," Aqualad said, pulling a navy blue shirt over his head.

Kid Flash ignored him. "My idea is that we somehow convince Rob that Star is cheating on him."

"We already tried that," Speedy cut in, looking agitated. "Remember?"

"Yeah, but we had the problem of other people who could negate it," Kid pointed out. "If it involves just us, we can pull it off!"

"I hope by us you aren't including me," Aqualad said. He was beginning the process of gelling back his long, straight hair.

"What are you thinking?" Speedy was obviously intrigued.

Kid Flash smiled. "Alright, so here's what I got. Tonight, you tell Robin that Starfire is cheating on him. Make sure Cyborg's there too, for another witness. Take 'em outside the Tower so you can see Starfire's window. With the light in the right position, you can see silhouettes through that curtain."

Speedy had begun to smile, leaning in to hear his friend's plan. Aqualad was watching the other two boys with a somewhat worried expression, no longer commenting.

"I'm thinkin' me and Jinx will sneak up there and do something close to or on the window," Kid continued. "Shouldn't be too hard to convince her. She's all for breaking the rules." A tiny smile pulled at his lips. "If everything goes well, it'll look like Starfire's doin' the do with some other guy!"

"How will he not be able to tell the difference between Starfire and Jinx?" Speedy asked. "They look totally different."

"I'll take her hair down and maybe lift her up," Kid Flash said. Excitement was growing in his eyes. "She'll look taller. And the curtain will hide any other features!"

Speedy smiled and stood up, clapping his hand on Kid Flash's shoulder. "Wally," he said, "you just made my day."

Behind them, Aqualad groaned.

…

Beast Boy went to one of two places when he wanted to think. One of them was the rocky shoreline of the island, his most famous thinking spot. Usually, he'd go there when he wanted people to find him and comfort him. His other spot was, in his opinion, much more hidden. There was a tiny bit of forest on the island – more of a garden than anything. But there were quite a few trees. One of these trees, a large oak, had a perfect bough about ten feet up just the right size for Beast Boy to sit. It was sufficiently covered by leaves; enough so he was rather hidden. It also helped that his green skin blended in pretty well. He went here when he didn't want to be found. His team, contrary to Beast Boy's knowledge, were actually quite aware of this hiding spot. Beast Boy was definitely not the sneakiest person. But they usually respected his space and let him come back on his own.

Now he was sitting in that tree, his legs kicked up one side of the v-shaped branches. His arms were crossed over his chest. He was staring angrily at a bird's nest that had taken up residence a few branches above him. Two doves were building it, fluttering back in forth with twigs and leaves to weave in.

"Dumb birds," Beast Boy mumbled, narrowing his eyes. "What're you guys doing? Mating for life. Such a dumb concept." He was usually very intrigued by nature in action, but today he was not in a good mood. The doves reminded him too much of Robin and Starfire: hooking up for _life_. "Marriage is ridiculous," Beast Boy growled. "Robin's gonna be such a stick-in-the-mud after this." He thought for a moment. "Well, I guess he's always been a stick-in-the-mud, but _still_." The doves carried on building their nest, effectively ignoring the green man talking at them.

"I mean, it's not like I'm not happy for him," Beast Boy amended, shrugging a shoulder. "I guess it's their choice, huh?" The doves did not answer. The female took wing, looking for more sticks. Beast Boy raised his eyebrows at the male. "Dude. Why'd ya settle? What's so special about her?" The dove fluttered its wings, its head cocking down to look at him with a tiny black eye. "Man, girls are crazy," Beast Boy said to the bird. "There's this one girl, one of my roommates: Raven. She drives me nuts!" As Beast Boy continued to complain to the doves about Raven and the wrongs she had committed, Cyborg, Robin, and Bumblebee crept closer.

"Are you sure he can't hear us?" Bumblebee whispered. She knew all about Beast Boy's excellent sense of hearing.

"Nah, he's talkin' to himself too loud," Cyborg hissed back. The smile on his mouth hadn't left all morning. "Y'all remember the plan?"

"Are you sure about this, Cy?" Robin asked. He had been dragged along on this trip, and wasn't particularly a pranker. Usually it was Cyborg and Beast Boy who pranked _him_.

"Of course!" Cyborg assured. "Now c'mon."

They were right in believing that Beast Boy hadn't heard them whispering. The green man was too busy regaling a story about how Raven had thrown out his tofu burritos when they were only _three days_ out of date. But he did hear them crashing through the undergrowth toward him, and promptly stopped talking and turned into a lizard.

The three other Titans tromped into the clearing, making much more noise than needed. Robin looked uncomfortable, but Cyborg and Bumblebee had grins on their faces. Beast Boy was relatively certain they had not seen him, but was intrigued by the reason they had come into the little forest. Cyborg _hated _it.

"I still can't _believe_ what _Raven_ told you, Bee!" Cyborg practically yelled. Beast Boy flinched back on the trunk, startled by the mechanical man's screaming.

"I know, Sparky! Who woulda guessed?" Bumblebee said back, less loudly.

"Wait, what happened guys?" Robin asked. The lines had been rehearsed before-hand, but Beast Boy could not tell. The leader sounded genuinely intrigued.

"Oh! You didn't _know_?" Cyborg yelled. "_Man_, it's just _crazy!_"

"The girls and I played Truth or Dare last night," Bumblebee explained. "And we found out that _Raven's in love_!"

_What?_ Beast Boy was so shocked he nearly phased out of his lizard form. _How can that crazy, cold-hearted demoness be in love? I thought she hated men!_ But his tiny heart began to pump faster. _Who is it_?

"With who?" Robin demanded. His back was to Beast Boy, effectively hiding the slight twitches of a smile.

Bumblebee burst into explosive peals of laughter. It sounded almost crazy and slightly out of place. "You'll never guess!"

"Is it a Titan?"

"Yeah!" Cyborg cried out. He was apparently trying very hard to hold back giggles.

_It's gotta be Aquadork_, Beast Boy thought. His claws tightened on the bark. _They were makin' goo-goo eyes at each other and stuff_.

"Aqualad?" Robin's thoughts seemed to be going in the same direction.

"Nope!" Bumblebee laughed. Beast Boy blinked a few times in shock. _Not Aqualad? Who else does she even _tolerate_? _His tongue flicked out and brushed over his eyes. _Maybe it's Jericho…_

"Jericho?"

Cyborg apparently couldn't hold in his laughter for one more second, because he practically exploded. "NOPE! IT'S BEAST BOY!"

The changeling felt everything within him suddenly go still. It took every ounce of his willpower not to change back and attack the three with questions. He was so taken aback that he almost missed what they said next.

"Impossible," Robin scoffed. "She hates Beast Boy!" Up in the tree, Beast Boy agreed with Robin. _I mean, c'mon. They've gotta be pullin' his leg._

"Believe it, Bird Boy!" Bumblebee snickered. "She told me herself! She's crazy about him! Has been for a _while_ apparently." Beast Boy found himself running over memories in his head, trying to pull out hints that this could be true. Bumblebee continued, becoming more serious. "She said she's afraid of what he'll say if she told him. She thinks he'd make fun of her!"

If lizards could blush, Beast Boy would be beet red. Thinking about it, he guiltily realized that he probably would make fun of her. _Is that why she's been so mean?_

"That's ridiculous," Robin said. Cyborg had a large hand covering his mouth. Beast Boy thought that he was taking in new information, but in reality the half-robot was trying to cover up the giggles that kept bubbling to his lips.

"I think Green Bean would be stupid not to take her up!" Bumblebee declared, a little louder than she needed. She wanted to make sure Beast Boy had heard her.

"Yeah!" Cyborg said, fighting a smile. "More stupid than usual, anyway!"

In his perch, Beast Boy fumed.

"I guess you're right," Robin conceded, shrugging. "I think lunch will be ready soon. Let's go back up to the Tower." The other two nodded and followed the leader into the undergrowth. Beast Boy spent another minute or so in lizard form before shifting back. He had apparently forgotten that he had been attached to the tree at an upside down angle, for when he turned into a human, he gracelessly tumbled out of the tree headfirst.

The young man sat on the ground, dazed from both the fall and the new information. Raven loved him? _Loved_ him? That was a crazy strong word in his opinion. He rubbed the back of his head. They had never gotten along. Raven had never shown signs of _tolerating_ him, let along _loving_ him! He thought about the night before, where she had insulted him to the point of fury.

"Was she just nervous or somethin'?" Beast Boy mumbled to himself. He grimaced slightly. She was afraid he would be mean to her if he found out. That said a lot about him, didn't it?

"I don't wanna be mean…" Beast Boy murmured, trailing off. God, it was so ridiculous. "Maybe I should give her a chance…It can't be that bad, can it?" Every single voice in his head screamed against it. His instincts chalked up loving Raven as much as trusting a superior predator. But Beast Boy was a nice guy – in his opinion – and nice guys don't let the chance to get with a pretty girl slip through their fingers. In that moment, Beast Boy made a decision: he would ask Raven out. For charity's sake.

As if summoned, Raven materialized in front of Beast Boy. He stumbled back, shocked, and fell directly on his butt. His cheeks warmed with embarrassment.

"Are you always this graceful?" the sorceress deadpanned.

Beast Boy smirked from the ground, raising one eyebrow in what he hoped was his most flirty look. "I guess you could say I've _fallen_ for you."

Raven was silent for a moment. Then: "Did you hit your head just now?"

"Nah," Beast Boy assured, waving one hand. "Could ya help me up, Rae?" He smiled up at her. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You can get up yourself," she muttered. Beast Boy blushed again and scrambled to his feet.

_Damn! She sure is playing hard to get!_ He thought. "Didja want somthin', Rae? Or just wanna see me?" He wiggled his eyebrows again.

"It's time for lunch," Raven growled. Her expression had moved from unfazed to annoyed. "And stop calling me Rae, Beast Boy."

"What would you rather I call you?" he asked, sidling up to her. She leaned away from him, lip curling.

"Raven," she snapped. "What in the name of Azar has gotten into you?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "It's just this spring air, ya know? So…romantic." As smoothly as he thought possible, the green man slung one arm over Raven's shoulders. The empath tensed. Without warning, Beast Boy was flying through the air, propelled by a blast of magic. He hit a tree with a _thwack_!

"If you aren't in the kitchen in ten minutes, we are eating without you," she said curtly. With that, Raven disappeared into a portal. Beast Boy stared after her, green eyes wide.

"Oh, man," he murmured to himself. Absentmindedly, he began rubbing the spot on his head where it had hit the oak. "That was crazy. She was pissed." He chewed his lip for a moment, thinking. Then: "She's deeper in denial than I thought! Poor, poor, little Rae-Rae." Satisfied with himself and how he had handled the situation, Beast Boy turned into a falcon and took off into the sky.

About ten feet away, hidden in the bushes, Cyborg, Bumblebee, and Robin were laughing hysterically.

"He's _fallen_ for her!" Cyborg howled, clutching his metal stomach. "I-I can't BELIEVE he actually said that!"

"And the _nicknames_!" Bumblebee added, wiping a tear from her eye. "My GAWD!"

"I loved the spring air filled with romance bit," Robin giggled. "Geez, he really fell for that!"

"Hell yeah he did!" Cyborg yelled, high-fiving his leader. "BOOYAH!"


	5. Chapter 5

_What fire is in mine ears? Can this be true?  
Stand I condemn'd for pride and scorn so much?  
Contempt, farewell! and maiden pride, adieu!  
No glory lives behind the back of such.  
And, Benedick, love on; I will requite thee,  
Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand._

…

After lunch, there was a definite lull in the Tower. A lot of the Titans were on the roof playing volleyball. But four girls had declined the game, three of whom were now crowded on the couch of the ops room. They were sitting close together, trading quick whispers.

"Let's just do it the way the others did," Jinx hissed. Her fingers tapped excitedly together – the sorceress loved a prank.

"Do you think Raven will actually fall for it, though?" Kole squeaked. "I mean, no offense to Beast Boy, but he's not really that smart. It makes sense that he would go for it, but _Raven_?"

"I believe that Beast Boy has done the work for us," Starfire pointed out. "Robin told me that Beast Boy was using the 'picking up' lines on Raven."

"Yeah, the little gremlin was staring at her all through lunch!" Jinx cackled. "He seriously believes she's in love with him!"

"Then are we just going to wing it?" Kole asked. Her blue eyes were still round with worry.

"I have the plan." Starfire smiled. "Friend Raven comes into the kitchen every day after her post-lunch meditation to wash and put away her teacup. I suggest that friend Jinx use her probability manipulation abilities to break the cup. Then we will have her attention."

"Yeah, but what should we say? I'm not one for improv," Kole murmured, blushing.

Starfire smiled, exchanging a glance with the sorceress beside her. "Just do the following of our leadership!"

Just as Starfire predicted, as soon as Raven was done with her meditation, she picked her mug up off of her bedside table and began to make her way to the common room and kitchen area. She never liked clutter, especially in her room. Raven could not even _begin_ to understand how Beast Boy could keep his so messy.

At the thought of the green man, Raven's lip curled in annoyed disgust. Today, Beast Boy had apparently decided that his next prank to play on her was to be grotesquely flirty. It made Raven want to vomit. What the man found funny or remotely mature about it, she could never understand. It was almost as if he were teasing her inability to keep a date. Not that she cared. Or wanted any dates for that matter.

Eventually, she realized she was gripping the teacup hard enough to make her knuckles turn white. She blew out through her nose and steadied herself. She had just finished meditating; now was not the time to get frustrated. Raven took in another deep breath and continued down the hallway.

When she entered the kitchen, the giggling of her friends tickled her ears. Waves of emotion varying from excitement to nervousness blasted her senses, and Raven pursed her lips somewhat. Apparently, they hadn't noticed her entrance and continued to talk in hushed tones. Raven was not much of an eavesdropper. And it was probably mindless gossip anyway. She turned on the sink and began to wash her cup.

With no warning, the cup slipped out of her hands and shattered in the sink. Cursing under her breath, Raven turned off the water and began to carefully pick up the ceramic shards. Still, all of the girls were too intrigued in their conversation to notice what had happened. What could be so interesting that even broken glass couldn't faze them? Wondering if she was going to regret it, Raven listened in.

"That's impossible!" Jinx was crowing. Her upturned nose scrunched. "I don't believe you, Starfire."

"Oh, no – it is very much the truth! Friend Cyborg _told me_. And Robin also agreed!"

Whatever it was, this juicy gossip was slowly spreading throughout the Tower. Raven remained silent, suddenly afraid they would notice her and stop talking.

"I believe you, Star!" Kole piped in. "I mean, Cyborg is Beast Boy's _best friend_ after all."

_So they're talking about Beast Boy, huh?_ Raven thought. A slight smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth. This could quite possibly turn into an opportunity for blackmail.

"Damn, I never imagined Beast Boy would fall for her," Jinx said, leaning back and shaking her head. "I mean, she's great, but they're so…incompatible."

Raven's smirk fell away. _Beast Boy was in love_? There was a strange, shifting feeling in her stomach that she didn't like. Raven couldn't see Starfire's face, but she felt that the Tameranean was smiling.

"What is the saying? 'Opposites are attracting'?" All three girls giggled at this. Raven's face began to uncomfortably heat up. Puzzle pieces were starting to fall together in a terrifying pattern.

"Should we tell her?" Kole asked innocently.

"Perhaps it is for the better if she does not know," Starfire intoned solemnly. "She is much too stubborn about her opinion on 'the romance'. She will only break his precious heart with the insults and fun making!"

_Oh Azar, no._

"Would she really turn him down though?" Jinx asked lightly. "I mean, BB's kinda _sexy_. And I think he has matured a little."

Starfire shook her head, her glowing hair shifting over her shoulders. "I believe that friend Beast Boy and friend Raven should pursue each other, but the probability of that happening, even with Beast Boy's affections, is not very high."

Raven felt like her legs had turned to lead. She was clutching the ceramic shards so hard that small rivulets of blood had dripped between her fingers and into the sink. After realizing this, she instinctively dropped them, letting them clatter on the porcelain. In that same second, she opened a portal below her feet and disappeared for her room.

The three girls turned around at the noise, catching a glimpse of the portal before the half-demon flashed away. It was quiet for a moment. Then all three burst into a fit of giggles.

"I actually think it worked!" Kole blurted, looking exhilarated. "That was great, Star!"

"Hey! I did half the work!" Jinx teased. Kole stuck her tongue out at her.

"Friends, that was the most excellent!" Star cried, twirling into the air. She stopped and looked down at Kole. "Oh! Friend, you have yet to try on your bridal maiden dress!"

The younger girl smiled broadly. "Do you have them here?"

"Oh course!" Starfire smiled. She grabbed onto Kole's hand and began to tug her toward the elevator. "They are down the stairs!" The alien turned suddenly, eyes bright with excitement. "Jinx, would you like to join us in the trying on of dresses?"

The sorceress lazily brushed a hand at them. "Nah, I'm good. Pretty sure I haven't changed sizes in the last few months. I think I'll see what Wally's up to."

The two girls exchanged a knowing glance and retreated to the elevator, giggling.

…

In her room, Raven was standing in the middle of the floor, her mind going too quickly for her to think of moving. Beast Boy had _feelings_ for her? Well, it certainly explained the sudden bout of flirting and compliments. Had someone encouraged him to make a move?

Raven blushed under her hood. Her fingers tightly grasped the edges of her cloak, as if the heavy fabric was a lifeline. This was not okay. She didn't like Beast Boy that way. Hell, even if she _wanted_ to, it was impossible! Her powers were too wild, too unpredictable.

But then again, were they really? She had gone a long way from when she was a terrified teenager who couldn't show the slightest amount of feeling without breaking something. Her meditation and control had only grown with her age and experience. Theoretically, she _could_ engage in a relationship.

"But not with Beast Boy!" she hissed to herself, feeling her blush darken. "He's immature, annoying, and we have absolutely _nothing_ in common. A romantic relationship would be _disastrous_."

_Starfire was right, _said a voice in her head. _You are stubborn. Give him a chance, Rae!_

Raven could practically see the purple emoticlone smirking at her.

"It's not stubbornness," Raven mumbled. "It's _common sense_."

_You're attracted to him,_ the purple-cloaked woman whispered. _Trust me, I know. C'mon! Just imagine how he'd look with his shirt off. Or maybe his pants…_

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose, attempting to force the image from her head. Usually Raven was able to subdue her emotions' voices, unless they were particularly strong that moment.

"Damn it," Raven muttered. Affection would never let up at this rate. Perhaps if the sorceress satiated her, she would go back to a more dormant state. "Fine," she said to herself. "I'll pursue it. But this is going to blow up in my face. Azar, I never believed it was possible to give into my own peer pressure."

Raven could practically feel Affection smiling.

…

After dinner, Beast Boy made his way into the ops room to play video games. This whole deal with Raven's secret crush on him was making his head spin, and he needed to unwind. Unfortunately, Cyborg, Robin, and Bumblebee had already beat him to the GameStation.

"Hey, B!" Cyborg called over his shoulder. He and Bumblebee were playing Mega Monkeys 3. Robin was perched on the edge of the couch, watching leisurely. The leader sent Beast Boy a friendly nod.

"Hey, guys," Beast Boy mumbled. It felt weird to be around the friends whose conversation he had eavesdropped on. It was like he was keeping some sort of dirty secret from them – and Beast Boy was awful at keeping secrets.

"Take that!" Bumblebee screamed. On the screen, her yellow monkey pulled off a combo move, effectively draining half of Cyborg's health bar.

"Damn it, Bee!" the half-robot roared. He hunched over the controller, no longer caring about Beast Boy's entrance. The green man began to feel slightly less uneasy. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and trotted over to where Robin was sitting.

"Hey man," Beast Boy greeted. "You pumped for the big day tomorrow?"

Robin smiled, and opened his mouth to reply, but Bumblebee beat him to it. "Of course he is! Boy wouldn't shut up about it all day long!" The Boy Wonder blushed slightly, but his smile didn't waver.

"Rob's all about the romantic stuff," Cy grumbled, still miffed about Bumblebee's combo move. He was getting very close to losing. "You'll probably hate it, BB. Lots of hearts and flowers and kisses. I know you ain't about that." A little smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

Beast Boy blushed. Robin raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, Beast Boy. Weren't you talking on and on the other day about how you'll _never_ get serious with a girl? You probably wouldn't enjoy a wedding."

With a cry of victory, Bumblebee won the match. Her monkey danced on the screen while Cyborg's fell onto its back, little swirls dancing over its head.

"Uh, actually…" Beast Boy paused, staring at his barely sipped beer. "I…um…I changed my mind."

"What?" Cyborg cried out. Now that the game was over, the metal man's full attention was on Beast Boy. "You're giving up the single life? Dude, two days ago you said girlfriends were a stupid idea."

The green man shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "Well, that was two days ago. Can't a guy have a change of heart?"

"It's gotta be a girl," Bumblebee chuckled. Her honey-colored eyes glinted mischievously. "I think our little Green Bean has a crush!"

Cyborg's mouth spread in a wide grin. "My Gawd, can it be true? Someone's broken through the defenses? BB, you've _gotta_ tell us who she is!"

Beast Boy flushed deeply, regretting that he had even entered the room. "Uh…"

"C'mon, Beast Boy," Robin laughed, nudging him lightly with his elbow. "Who is it?" They all stared at him, as if expecting something. He began to sweat.

Like a gift from the heavens, the door to the ops room slid open and Speedy walked in, taking the attention off of Beast Boy. He let out a relieved breath. Speedy had a grim look on his face, as if he was bringing bad news.

"Hey, Bee!" Beast Boy called. The girl looked over, raising an eyebrow. Beast Boy cleared his throat. "Can we talk?" He gestured to the door with his chin. Taking the hint, Bumblebee vaulted over the couch and followed the changeling out the door and into the hallway.

"What's up, Speedy?" Robin asked. The archer's mouth was set in a thin line.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," he said. His mask didn't move. He looked like he was carved from stone.

"What's wrong?" Cyborg asked, his joking demeanor gone. "Is everyone okay?"

Speedy paused, as if considering. "I…I think Starfire might be cheating on Robin."

Robin bit his lip, but mostly remained unfazed. "That's what you said last night, and it turned out to be a misunderstanding."

Speedy's jaw muscles tightened slightly. "I think you guys should come with me. I have something to show you."

…

A/N – DUN DUN DUN! Jeezus peezus I hate writing Speedy. It's so…_weird_ for me to be writing him so off. I want him to be the mirror of the character in the play, but I'm starting to think that I should have never attempted it lol. It's too late to go back now! Muahaha! Let me know what you think, lovelies!


	6. Chapter 6

Mas y Menos weren't too interested in any wedding activities. Truthfully, it bored them to tears. They had spent some of Saturday and all of Sunday complaining to anyone who would listen about their predicament. Those who could understand them (and in turn had more trouble ignoring them) would then complain to Cyborg, who was currently in charge of everything, being the Best Man. Sunday evening, before he sat down to play video games with Bumblebee, Cyborg pulled the twins aside.

"Listen, guys," he had said, a serious look on his face. "I got something important for y'all to do."

"Cualquier cosa es mejor que sentarse alrededor," Mas mumbled. Menos nodded agreeably.

Cyborg had no idea what had just come out of the younger boy's mouth, so he just nodded. "Yeah. Since we've been so busy with the wedding, we've kinda been slackin' on crime stoppin'." Mas y Menos perked up at this, interest sparkling in their identical dark eyes. Cyborg smiled, knowing he had their attention. "Do you think y'all can clean up the streets a little? We want everything good for the big day."

"Si, Senior Cyborg!" Menos cried happily. Taking hold of Mas' hand, he sped out of the Tower. Both seemed elated to be the main superheroes currently guarding Jump City.

As it turned out, the Titans had gone all out the week before to make sure every major villain in the area was accounted for. So, there really weren't any major crimes happening. This upset Mas Y Menos greatly. The two had stopped a few burglaries, but nothing else had really happened.

At seven thirty, the twins were sitting on a bench in the park, their still somewhat short legs stretched out in front of them. The most recent crime activity was a drunk man who had wobbled into the park, clutching a brown paper bag in one fist. When they went to confront him, the man had broken down crying about not studying for a Spanish test. Eventually, Mas y Menos gave up and let him be. Now the drunk was passed out against the trunk of the tree.

"¿Qué debemos hacer con él?" Mas asked his brother, jerking his thumb at the drunk. Menos scrunched his nose up.

"No me importa. ¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?" he asked after a moment. Mas thought, contemplating exactly what they _could_ do next. There was really no other important hero stuff to be doing. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. An idea had popped into his head.

"Volvamos a la torre!" he cried. His brother glanced back at the building in question, casting a massive T-shaped shadow on the purple sky. "Podemos protegerla!"

Menos nodded quickly. Of _course_ the Tower needed protecting! That's where any _real_ villain would strike! Without needing to say anything, the two brothers pressed their palms together and took off across the bay.

It had been fun at first, running around the outside of the Tower looking for crooks. But it soon became tiresome. Around eight-thirty, the boys collapsed in a patch of grass behind a large bush and promptly fell asleep.

About an hour later, first Mas, then Menos, were woken by footsteps coming towards them. Menos shot to his feet, ready to take out whoever was threatening the island. Almost immediately, Mas grabbed his brother's hand and yanked him back onto the ground.

"Porque fue eso?" Menos hissed, glaring at his twin. Mas shook his head and pointed through a hole in the shrubbery.

"Esos no son los criminales. Ellos son nuestros amigos," Mas whispered. His brother's eyes grew wide. True to his word, through the bush Menos could see two of their friends walking towards their hiding spot. They were talking about something. As if by complete stroke of luck, the two stopped right next to the big shrub. Kid Flash and Aqualad were oblivious to the crouching twins.

"It was _great_, fishboy. They totally fell for it," Kid Flash was saying. His orange hair was sticking up even more than usual.

"I still don't think this is the right thing to be doing." Aqualad seemed incredibly uncomfortable. He was tugging at the collar of his shirt and staring down at the ground, biting his lip. "What exactly happened?"

Kid Flash smirked. He had just pulled off what was quite possibly the greatest prank of his life – there was no way he wasn't going to brag. "Okay, so I'm gettin' it on with Jinx, right? And –"

"Could you be any crasser?" Aqualad grumbled. He looked somewhat disgusted. Kid Flash ignored him.

"Whatever, man. Before this, Speedy was s'posed to grab Robby and Cy and bring 'em down in view of Star's window. Which was where me and Jinx were. He was gonna give me a signal by pressing the communicator call button in his pocket. When I got that, I had to push Jinx up against the window so they'd see the silhouette and think it was Star!"

"That's completely convoluted," Aqualad scoffed. "Did it work?"

"It worked perfectly!" Kid Flash laughed, throwing his hands in the air. "Robin's _pissed_, and Cy is too. At the wedding tomorrow, Rob's gonna call her out in front of _everyone_!"

"That seems a little harsh," Aqualad commented. His thick eyebrows drew together in concern. "Are you sure this was –"

Mas y Menos suddenly jumped out of the bushes, hands braced on each other's shoulders. Kid Flash and Aqualad were so surprised they froze in place.

"Hemos oído todo. No trates de negarlo," Menos cried.

"Y no intentes correr. Vamos a atraparte," Mas added.

The two older boys looked at each other, guilt etching their features.

"God, I wish I knew what they were saying," Kid Flash mumbled.

…

A/N – Sorry this is so short, lovelies. In the play, this scene is sort of just a side thingy. Hope you enjoyed! I love to see reviews! (also, I'm sorry if I totally butchered Spanish here...Google Translate is not the greatest...)


	7. Chapter 7

_God give me joy to wear it, for my heart is  
exceeding heavy._

…

Starfire awoke early on her wedding day. She opened her eyes and waited for the rush of excitement to come over her, as it had for the past week. But it didn't come. Instead, there was a lump of dread sitting in the pit of her stomach. Starfire had read many wedding magazines, and had seen more than one article about the "cold feet". This feeling was not cold feet. No…it was more like a premonition.

The alien rolled over in her bed, coming face to face with Jinx, who was still deeply asleep. The pink-haired sorceress usually slept in the room shared with Wally, but the night before the girls had an impromptu slumber party. Kole was curled up on the floor in a sleeping bag. Only Bumblebee and Raven weren't present; both women had retired early to their rooms.

Starfire sat up and stretched. Her wedding dress was relatively similar to the one she had worn on Tameran, but with some small changes. It was hanging up on a hook on the closet door. For some reason, looking at it made her feel strange, like she was about to be sick.

She shook her head and turned back to Jinx. "Friend Jinx," she said softly, clutching the girl's shoulder. "It is time to do the waking, please."

Jinx groaned and batted away Star's hand. "Not now," she growled. "Sleeping." Starfire hummed softly and looked at the clock on her nightstand. It had taken her a while to get used to reading earth-time, but after spending nearly a decade on the planet, she had become something of an expert.

"Jinx, we have approximately four hours, thirty-two minutes, and twelve seconds until the wedding ceremony begins," Starfire pointed out. One of Jinx's eyes opened a slit.

"Too early," she mumbled. The eye closed. Starfire sighed and twisted her legs out of the bed. On the floor, Kole stirred.

"Are you doing the waking, friend Kole?" Starfire asked anxiously. She wanted to start getting ready now rather than later. "Please?"

Kole squeezed her eyes shut, stretching her arms above her head. "Yeah," she yawned. "Yeah, sure thing, Star."

"Can you fetch Raven, please?" Starfire asked, wringing her hands together. Her nervousness was eating away at her spirit. Kole nodded and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her pink hair stood up in the back.

"Is Jinx awake?" the younger girl asked. As if in response, the sorceress let out a loud, rumbling snore. Starfire bit her lip.

"I am afraid not."

Kole shrugged and stood, stretching up onto her toes. She stumbled over to the door and opened it, sliding out into the hallway. She was still wearing her pink bunny slippers.

Deciding that waking Jinx would be a lost cause, Starfire stretched, grabbed her robe, and went out into the hallway, heading for the bathroom she shared with Nightwing. Considering that the men wouldn't take very long to get ready, no one was awake yet. That feeling of dread came over her again when she glanced at the room of her soon-to-be husband. She shook it off and locked the bathroom door behind her.

After a long, satisfying shower, Starfire donned her pink bathrobe and floated back to her room. When she got there, she was greeted by three of her bridesmaids, all awake and sipping coffee or tea. Raven looked to be in a relatively good mood. She had also taken a shower; her hair was wet but combed. She was wearing her regular uniform. Kole sat on the floor, still in her pajamas but working a knot out of her hair with a brush. Jinx was sitting up on Star's bed, practically chugging a mug of what looked like black coffee.

"Good morning, friends!" Star greeted. A little of her old excitement flooded her veins again, which calmed her down slightly. The shower had also helped.

"Hello, Star," Raven said. A small smile pulled on her lips. "Are you excited?"

"Extremely!"

"Wait, hold on." Jinx held up a thin hand. Her bubblegum-colored eyes had fixed on Raven, wide with disbelief. "Are you _smiling_?"

The expression immediately dropped off the woman's face. "It's a natural human reaction. I just so happen to be in a good mood."

Jinx blinked slowly. She looked at her coffee, back at Raven, and then again to her coffee. "Did someone slip something in this?" she mumbled. Starfire cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"I am sorry, but what –?"

Raven cut her off. "No. I'm just in a good mood."

"Good for you, Raven," Kole said, smiling. Raven nodded back, that little smile slipping across her face again.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Jinx asked, taking another long gulp of coffee. "It's almost like you've had a good long screw." Raven paled at that, her face drawing tight. The sorceress raised an eyebrow. "Have you?"

Starfire touched the towel on her head, entirely lost. "Jinx, I do not believe anyone would put a screw in Raven. That sounds cruel. And would definitely not put her in a pleasant state of mind."

Jinx snorted into her cup. Kole giggled. Raven turned scarlet. She was definitely no longer smiling.

"No one screwed me in any sense of the term," she mumbled

"You know who I think she was with?" Jinx purred, ignoring the half-demoness.

"Who?" Kole tittered.

"Beast Boy," Jinx cackled. The two girls erupted with laughter.

"But Beast Boy would never hurt Raven!" Starfire defended. A smile suddenly curled over her features. "Instead, I believe Raven is stricken with endearment for our green friend!"

"I think you're catching up, Star," Jinx snickered. Starfire beamed proudly.

Raven growled. "Look," she said. "No one has screwed me, I am _not_ lovestruck, and neither involve _Beast Boy_!" The blush had crept down her neck. Her face was stoic for the most part, but one eyebrow was twitching ever so slightly.

Jinx shrugged, throwing back the last of her coffee. "If you say so, Rae-Rae."

…

Half an hour before she had to take her place on top of the Tower with the rest of the wedding party, Bumblebee was buzzing around her room like a mad woman, opening drawers and throwing things to the side. A constant string of curses flowed from her lips. Anyone watching her would have probably felt a strange mix of exhaustion and terror.

Her dress's skirt and many layers of 'floofy fabric' (as Bee called it anyway) bounced up and down with each turn of the room she did. The floor, bed, and dresser were absolutely covered in clothes. Random items poked up out of the mess. This did not deter her – when she could no longer walk, she flew above it.

Of all of her duties as a bridesmaid, she _had_ to lose track of her most important responsibility: the pearl necklace that would complete the "something old" part of Star's ensemble. The one which also happened to be a treasured family heirloom. If she couldn't find it, her mama would probably spank her. And Bumblebee hadn't been spanked since she was five! Not to mention that Starfire would probably cry. Just thinking about these possible outcomes made the leader of the Titans East go even faster.

She was in such a tizzy that she didn't hear the knock on the door. She also didn't hear the second. Or the third. Or even when the door slid open. What almost gave her a heart attack was zipping past the open door and running directly into Mas y Menos.

The twins grabbed onto her, not letting her fall. Bumblebee pushed away immediately and brushed herself off. Just the twins's presence stressed her out further. They were probably here for some stupid problem they couldn't figure out on their own, like how to tie their ties. But when she looked, their matching red bow-ties were perfect.

"What are you two doin' here?" she snarled, hands at her hips. The two boys glanced at each other.

"Usted debe decirle a ella, Mas," Menos said to his brother. He shoved his hands in his pockets and began to fidget.

"¿Yo? Esta fue su idea!" Mas snapped back, throwing his hands in the air. Bumblebee blinked, mumbled something along the lines of "I don't have time for this" and continued looking.

Mas y Menos groaned in unison. "Señorita Bee, usted necesita para escuchar a nosotros!" Mas said urgently. His brother nodded.

"I'm busy!" Bumblebee barked. She was moving clothes off of the top of the dresser.

"¡Es importante!" Menos begged. "Señor Speedy saboteó la boda!"

"Cogimos ellos entregaron rojo!" Mas added. Bumblebee had stopped paying attention. She had found the pearl necklace, which had been hiding beneath a pajama t-shirt.

"Oh, thank God!" Bee exclaimed. She turned toward the twins. "Whatever Speedy has done wrong has gotta wait. Can it wait?"

"NO!" they shouted.

Bumblebee sighed in exasperation. "Too bad." With that, she slipped past the boys and walked into the hallway. As soon as she was out the door, she buzzed into the air and took off at full speed. Mas y Menos watched her go, eyes filled with dread.

…

A/N – Guess who's still alive? It's me. I really needed to chop this chapter short because it was getting crazy long. So here's p. 1 of the wedding! Sort of. Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review if you want me to smile.


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